


time has brought your heart to me

by lovecamedown



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens (2015), Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: F/M, First Kiss, Force-Sensitive Finn, Friends to Lovers, Love Confessions, Reunions, he just doesn't know it
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-11-12
Updated: 2017-11-12
Packaged: 2019-02-01 12:31:39
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,401
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12705042
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lovecamedown/pseuds/lovecamedown
Summary: Finn gets sent on a mission to find Rey and Luke on Ahch-To after the First Order discover their location.An emotional reunion, followed by even more emotional words, ensue.





	time has brought your heart to me

**Author's Note:**

> lyrics for the title are, of course, from "a thousand years" by christina perri.

Finn doesn’t think he’s ever _looked forward_ to a mission before.

He’s been hyped and ready to work to the best of his ability, he’s been full of adrenaline, but he’s never felt a warmth in his chest the closer he gets to the location.

But, this time is a little different, because the location just happens to be where Rey is.

Or, at least, he _hopes_ that’s where Rey is. They got word a few hours ago that the First Order has found Rey and Luke’s location on Ach-To, and General Organa sent Finn out to find them right away. He has to get them off the planet as quickly as possible – if they’re even still _there_ ; Finn is hoping with every fibre of his being that they are – and fly home with all tracking and radio devices off until they’re just outside the planet on which their new base has been set up. General Organa has given him strict orders that nothing can distract him; he has to get in and out with Rey and Luke as fast as possible and make sure they’re escorted to safety.

As Finn’s ship jumps out of hyperspace and Ach-To comes in to view, Finn feels something tug at his heart; something warm and comforting, like he’s close to his home. Which is strange because, as far as he can remember, Finn has never had a home.

But somehow he knows Rey is down there. She’s on that island, and Finn’s heart speeds up as he approaches, seeing the Millennium Falcon sitting against a large area of flat rock at one end of the island. Finn lands just down from it, his own ship significantly smaller than the Falcon, and as the ramp lowers for him to exit on to the damp grass, he hears a familiar voice.

He heads down to the ground and looks around, searching for the source of the sound. He knows it was Rey; the voice isn’t close enough to really be able to tell, but he just _knows_.

There’s a long staircase a few hundred yards ahead of him, winding up in to the tall rocky mountains and caverns that this island holds. Finn starts towards the steps, but after just a few footsteps, there’s that voice again, and it’s even louder than before.

He looks up.

And there she is.

Running down the steps, no staff in hand, wearing different clothes than what she was wearing before. She has her hair different, too; it’s pulled back from her face at the top of her forehead, but the rest is hanging down, almost touching her shoulders as she runs.

And before Finn knows it, he’s running, too, shouting “Rey!”, temporarily forgetting everything about this having to be a speedy mission with only one purpose. He has to hold her. Has to see her, hear her voice, know she’s okay.

“Finn!” She calls out, just mere metres from him now. The look on her face is a mixture of surprise, relief and complete glee, and Finn thinks his face must look rather similar.

Soon enough, they meet, throwing their arms around each other. Rey almost jumps in to his arms, wrapping her own around his neck, burying her face there too, holding him so tightly. She’s standing on tip toes, Finn’s arms around her waist, practically holding her up.

“Rey,” he says, not intending for it to come out as a whisper.

“Finn,” she laughs softly, bringing up a hand to stroke the back of her head.

Finn buries his face in her neck and breathes in her scent, taking in the feel of her pressed against him, her pulse under his nose and that warm, comforting feeling that’s in his chest again; stronger than ever. She's _here_.

“I thought I lost you,” he breathes, remembering the last time he touched her; her limp body lying in the snow, Finn’s hands on her face, begging her to be alive, to not leave, to _stay_.

 _And then he’d turned around to fight, and that’s when everything went black_.

Rey holds on tighter. “I thought I lost you, too,” her voice is weak and strained, this time, and Finn just wants to be close, closer, even though that’s not entirely possible.

Rey pulls away but stays close, holding on to Finn’s arms. Finn gently holds her wrists, absently smoothing his thumb over her skin.

Finn is shaking his head, feeling very out of breath, looking all over Rey’s face to make sure she’s really here; that she’s really okay. “We didn’t hear from you, back at the base—we thought that something was wrong, that the First Order had found you—”

Rey shakes her head. “No, we’re fine, Finn. I promise. Luke—he’s been training me. In the Force.”

“He has?”

“Yes. It’s…hard. And intense. Especially without you here.”

Finn smiles softly, wanting to reach out and brush his fingers down her cheek. “I’m here now.”

“Yeah,” she says, voice quiet, almost far away. She’s gazing at him in a way Finn can’t describe; searching his eyes like she can’t believe this is real. “You are.”

“We—we have to go,” Finn says, instead of what he wants to say—which is more along the lines of _I missed you so much, my heart felt empty and lost without you next to me_ —because this is his mission, to get Rey and Luke away from here. “The first order—they’ve found your location. We have to get out of here _now_ and head back to our new base.”

“I—what? They found us?”

Finn nods. “Yeah. We have to go. We can’t let them find you.”

“I—okay, let me just—Luke—”

Finn looks up beyond Rey’s shoulder and sees a bearded man who, Finn realises, has been standing there the whole time. He’s standing at the top of the long, winding staircase, the sun behind him, making him look like a dark shadow in the distance. “Yeah,” Finn says, distracted by the fact that that’s _Luke kriffing Skywalker_. “Yeah. Okay. Five minutes, okay?”

Rey nods. Tightens her grip on his arms to make sure he doesn’t pull away just yet. “Do you have to take your ship back?”

“What do you mean?”

“We can take the Falcon, but I—are you coming on it, too?”

“Oh, I—I can’t leave my ship here. They’ll know we were here, and use it to track us home.”

“Okay,” Rey says, and if she sounds a little disappointed that Finn won’t be coming with her, it’s probably just Finn’s brain making things up.

 

As it turns out, Finn gets to travel with Rey after all.  
Luke says, almost straight away when Rey goes to get him, that he can’t face going in to the Falcon. He doesn’t say why as he turns and walks off to gather his things, but Rey turns to Finn and quietly explains that, since Han died, Luke hasn’t been able to set foot near the ship that used to belong to his friend. Finn understands. He really does. His heart aches for the Jedi.

So Luke flies Finn's ship home, seeming a little reluctant and maybe even nervous at the prospect of joining the people of the Resistance.

Chewie retires to get some rest, once the ship is off the planet and Rey is about to set it to hyperspeed. R2 sleeps—or the droid equivalent of sleeping—by him in the sleeping quarters.

Finn goes through to the lounge area and sinks in to the seat that wraps around the table. Rey follows a few minutes later, after a little bump in the ship that suggests they’re now in hyperspace.

She doesn’t sit down, though. Just stands there, hands fiddling together in front of her.

“Are you gonna sit?” He asks softly.

Rey is silent for a long moment. She’s looking at him in that way again; that way Finn can’t find a word for. It almost seems…wondrous. Searching. Disbelieving, maybe.

“You came back for me,” she says finally, her voice so soft and quiet Finn can barely hear her. “You came back for me…again.”

Finn’s face softens. He feels his heart tug. “Yeah, Rey,” he says gently. “I always will.”

Something crosses over Rey’s face and stays there. Finn swears he could see some tears on the edges of her eyes as she blinks rapidly, presumably to try and clear them. (He wishes she wouldn’t feel the need to do that. He wishes she felt comfortable crying in front of him; that she would know she can trust him with her life, with anything, always).

“I’ll always come back for you, too.”

Finn can’t help the small grin on his face. He pats the seat beside him. “Come here. Come sit.”

Rey does, but she seems a little tentative. Finn wants to close the few feet between them and hold her in his arms, but he knows he can’t; knows that would be pushing it.

“We, um—it’ll take us a few hours to get to base. We may as well try and get some rest before we arrive.” Rey tells him.

Finn nods, absently running his hands up and down his thighs. “Yeah. Okay.” And then, after a pause, “feels a little weird to try and relax when we’re basically running from the First Order.”

“There’s nothing else we can do. If they find us, they find us. We can't stop that.”

“I know,” Finn looks down, feeling just a little scared, but mostly just tired and _relieved_ to be back with Rey. His back hurts, too. His back always hurts.

“How’s your back?” _Is that a Force thing? Reading his mind? Probably just a coincidence._ “How are you? I’m sorry, I should’ve asked that sooner—”

“It’s okay,” Finn says, looking back up at her. “I’m okay. My back hurts, but—it could’ve been worse.”

Rey is staring deeply at him. Talking about this seems to make her just as anxious as it does for Finn. He doesn’t think he's surprised, now that he thinks about it; he’s been blaming himself for what happened to Rey ever since Kylo Ren captured her. He wonders if Rey blames herself for what happened to Finn, too.

“How long have you been awake?”

“Just a couple days,” he says. “As soon as I woke up, I—I wanted to come and find you straight away. But they…wouldn’t let me leave the medbay. It took bringing the General in to talk me down.”

Rey giggles the tiniest bit. Finn’s heart _glows_ at the sound. He wants to hear it over and over again.

“You were desperate to get out of medbay, just to come find me?”

Finn shrugs one shoulder, like it’s no big deal. “Of course.”

Rey’s smile is small and meaningful.

“And then, when we got word of the First Order finding where you were, I was finally ready to get out again, and the General sent me to find you.”

Rey stares at him for a long, quiet moment, Finn staring back at her. They’re searching each other’s eyes. The lights in the lounge are casting faint little shadows over her face, and there are little wisps of hair falling out from her single bun, framing the sides of her face in light, fine curls.

Finn wonders what she’s thinking about. All he can think about is how much he missed her, even when he was unconscious; how much he loves hearing her voice, having her near; how much she means to him.

“You know you’re really brave, right?”

Finn is surprised, not expecting that. “It was Bacta that healed me, so it wasn’t all me…,”

Rey shakes her head. “No. I don’t just mean that. Finn, you’re the bravest person I’ve ever met. In every situation, you are so brave.”

Finn ducks his head, his cheeks suddenly heating up at her praise. “I’m not sure that’s true…,”

“It is true,” Rey says, in that stubborn voice he quickly grew to love so much. “Finn, you left the First Order. You _escaped_. You found me, you fought, even when all you wanted was to have your own life for the first time.”

Finn looks up at her from under his eyelashes, just a little bashful.

Rey continues, “and then you did everything in your power to get me back when I was captured; running back in to the heart of the very thing you wanted so much to get away from.”

Finn’s breath catches in his throat, his heart suddenly squeezing with emotion. He doesn’t know what to say. He hadn’t even _thought_ about it when he’d gone to rescue Rey—he just knew that he had to. He couldn’t _leave_ her. His fear wasn't even a factor.

He’s surprised but _so happy_ when Rey gingerly reaches out, pulling his hand off his lap and slowly lacing their fingers together. Finn looks down at their now joined hands, then back up at Rey, finding that she’s already looking at him. There’s nothing but raw emotion on her face and in her eyes. Finn suddenly finds himself wanting to rub away the little crease between her eyebrows; maybe even kiss it gently with his lips.

“Do you know how much that meant to me?” She asks, voice soft and a little raspy. “The fact you came back for me, even though it was so dangerous, and so terrifying for you?”

Finn swallows. “I think I do,”

“It meant _everything_ to me,” she says. Then, ever so tentatively, with her other hand she reaches out and cups Finn’s face, so softly, just barely grazing his skin. “Finn,” she whispers, “it’s all I’ve ever wanted anyone to do.”

This time, Finn’s breath catches in his throat and it _stays_ caught long enough for him to have to try desperately to hold back a sob. He’s not crying, and neither is Rey, but he kind of _wants_ to.

Instead, he leans forward and touches his forehead to Rey’s, hoping that this touch is okay; that it’s not uncomfortable for her.

Her grip tightens on his hand and the hand on his cheek sits against his skin just a little more confidently.

“Thank you,” she whispers. “Thank you, Finn.”

Finn doesn’t know what to say. Doesn’t know if there’s anything he _can_ say that would even make sense; that would even come out as a coherent sentence. The words in his head right now are an alphabet soup of _Rey I just want you close forever_ and _I will always come back for you, always and forever, you’ll never be alone again, I promise_ and _oh, God, I love you so much I think I might die._

Okay, the latter is a new one. But, yeah, it’s true. He loves her. So, so much.

Instead of saying anything, though, Finn just separates their forehead and leans in to hug her, wrapping his arms around her small frame that’s slowly becoming very familiar. He buries his face in to her neck, breathing in her warmth, feeling her holding him so tight.

Rey was the first person he had ever hugged (that he can remember, anyway). And now, after hugging a couple other people, he’s sure that Rey’s hugs are the only ones who feel like they give him a reason to breathe.

“Finn,” Rey whispers. Slowly, she pulls away a little, wiping at her eyes even though no tears have fallen. “You mean a lot to me.”

Finn smiles softly, joining their hands together once more. “You mean a lot to me, too.”

She takes a short breath in, like she’s about to speak. But she just freezes on that breath, holding it for a few long seconds, looking between both of his eyes like she’s debating whether or not she wants to say this.  
Eventually, she lets out the breath. Takes in another one, squeezes his hand, and looks away. “Finn, I…I get this feeling in my chest, when I’m with you. It’s like—it's warm. I—I grew up on a desert planet, I’m _used_ to heat, but it’s not the kind of heat that comes from the sun. It’s…,” she fades off, shaking her head like words for this feeling completely evade her.

Finn nods _instantly_ , because he knows _exactly_ what she means. “I feel the same,” he says. “I really do, Rey, I—I can’t explain it.”

“Me neither,” Rey still isn’t looking at him. She seems to hide her face even more when she says her next words. “It…feels like what I’ve always been searching for.”

A small, unbelieving smile tugs at Finn’s lips. He wants to lift up her chin so their gazes can meet; so he can look at her properly and take in how beautiful and wonderful she is. “Me, too.”

Rey smiles, looking a little relieved. She squeezes his hand, and he squeezes back.

Maybe this is what it means to come home. A warmth in your chest, feeling content, happy, like this is where you always want to be; where you were always _meant_ to be.

 

After a while, the pair drift off in to light sleeps, Rey leaning her head on Finn’s shoulder, Finn leaning his against the top of hers. They’re still holding hands, Rey’s shoulder pressed in to Finn’s.

They only wake up when something beeps on the control panel in the cockpit. They both wake instantly, straight in to an alert state, and they glance at each other before standing up, sharing a shy smile and a hand squeeze before they let go.

Soon enough, they’re approaching their destination planet, and Rey lets the ship drop out of light speed. Suddenly a green and blue planet materialises in front of them, and Finn lets himself take a deep breath, letting it out slowly, because they _made it_. They’re here, they’re alive, and they’re safe. He knows things are going to get crazy once they’re down on the ground again; meetings will be had, discussions will be had, plans will be made.

But for right now, they’re here, together, and Finn feels the most at home he thinks he’s ever felt.

Once they land, Rey tells Chewie and R2 to go out first. They saw the crowd of people on the ground as they approached, and they can hear the voices and footsteps as soon as the Falcon’s ramp opens.

Finn is about to step towards it when Rey gently grabs hold of his jacket, pulling him to the side so they’re out of sight as Chewie and R2 head out.

“Rey?” He asks, a little concerned. “Are you—”

He’s cut off when Rey takes hold of the lapels of his jacket and pulls him in, pressing their lips together, long and soft and beautiful. Her lips are chapped and so are his, but everything feels smooth. She’s _kissing_ him. He’s _kissing Rey_.

Rey pulls away, looking nervous but satisfied. “Was…that okay?”

Finn tries to catch his breath. He can’t believe that just happened. “It was _more_ than okay.”

She grins, so wide and bright and beautiful. “Good,” she beams. “Just wanted to…you know. Do that before all the people show up.”

Finn smiles, his bright grin matching hers. He leans in a little closer, raising a teasing eyebrow, and brings his hand up to cup her face. “Maybe you could do it again, real quick? Just one for luck.”

She does. Pulls him in with two hands on the back of his neck this time, fingers kneading softly at the hair there. This time, her lips are parted against his, and they’re moving together like they’ve always done this, like this is familiar. It _feels_ familiar, somehow. Like this was always how it was meant to be.

Rey pulls him in closer as they kiss, pressing their bodies together as the kiss heats up. Finn winds one arm around her waist, holding the small of her back with his hand.

They’re only broken apart by the sound of someone’s voice in the crowd, saying, a little frantically, _where are they?_

Finn pulls away and he can’t help the huge smile that’s on his lips.

“We’ll pick up where we left off,” Rey promises, wiping some shine from his lips with her thumb. “Later.”

Finn nods. Pecks her nose. “Later.”

**Author's Note:**

> thank you for reading! i really hope you enjoyed this fic. any mistakes are unintentional and my own!  
> please do leave a comment to let me know what you think, if you can, and kudos are always so appreciated. <3  
> Love :* xxx


End file.
